Main Index: Native American Names of Quebec and Ontario (Marriage Documents)
Research Problem: The life history of Quebec and Ontario natives can be notoriously difficult to trace. The first – and perhaps greatest – layer of difficulty (for genealogists) is the late adoption of western surname usage (stable family names handed down from male parent to child). This has led to given individuals in certain time periods carrying multiple surnames (native only, native and westernized, westernized).
The second layer of difficulty is that Native surnames were transcribed phonetically which led to spelling variations in various official documents (e.g. between different church registers, census documents, border crossings etc.).
A last difficulty is the varying quality of the different indexing projects which makes it difficult to access the primary documents (microfilmed records) and cross-check with other indexes.
Goal: To create a Master Cross-Index of Names carried by Natives in Quebec and Ontario during the 18th/19th and 20th centuries sorted by surname variations AND first names.
Phase I: A. Transcription of names from marriage registers of parishs that have been associated with Native American populations in Quebec and Ontario. B. Creation of a Master Index that sorts those individuals by various surnames and first names. Timeline: 2011/2012
Work to date
Extracts:Primarily Native American Marriages of Quebec & Ontario (A) Updated Feb.13
Extracts: Native American Marriages of Quebec & Ontario (B/C) Updated Feb.14
Kahnawake Cemetery | Lacombe, Louis
Of possible interest
Reader Query: Sose Akwiranoron Beauvais
This request for information was left by Douglas and I’m looking forward to working with him however I thought I would also share his request with readers in case someone can help. If you prefer to contact him directly, please send me your contact information and I’ll forward it to him!
Kindly I am seeking the parentage of Sose Akwiranoron Beauvais (1870/1872-1913) to “push the lineage back but no, I am not related to anyone (that I know of) within the Kahnawa:ke Community. This is mostly to satisfy my own genealogical itch.
I see his death record, and his marriage record, but MY eyes are either failing me miserably or else the ancestry.com viewer of documents is not-as-great as they say it is. Or else they scanned the records poorly. He was allegedly born April 20, 1870 or 1872 and married Nov 04 1890 per the Ste. Francois Xavier du Sault St. Louis, Caughnawaga (Kahnawa:ke) Mohawk Community, Quebec, Canada Church to Marie Ioriwiioston Kelly. He was a “Hiawatha” Indian actor. Sose died on March 4-5-6 (?), 1913. Read more »
Caughnawaga Entertainers – The “Wild West”, Vaudeville And Hollywood Years
There’s a great book at the Chateauguay Library called “Kahnawake: A Mohawk look at Canada“ by Johnny Beauvais (ISBN 0-1234-567-8, 1985) which gives much insight into how the significance of the Chief Poking Fire Museum in Caughnawaga, and the place of Kahnawake in the entertainment industry (among many other subjects).
In his “Show Biz” chapter, Beauvais explains that as the Fur Trade declined in the mid-19th century many natives of Caughnawaga began to earn income by sharing some of their Iroquois traditions such as handicrafts, lacrosse, dance and music. Beginning in the early 1880s with the wildly popular Buffalo Bill Cody Wild West Show, the European and American public were entranced with the American Wild West and – of course – Wild West Indians.
On a personal note I have a family memory about that. My husband is Italian and grew up in Milan in the 40s/50s. During his childhood, his Italian nonno would often regale him with stories about having seen the Buffalo Bill Cody Show and “real live indians”. He was very proud of having seen them in the flesh. When Italian children pictured Canada, they picture red-coated mounties, Eskimos and igloos and the type of indians that they had seen in the Cody’s shows.
Returning to the main topic, it’s important to note that although Caughnawaga had a truly rich indigenous culture to share, the entertainers soon realized that what the paying public wanted was their image of the Indian, which was actually the culture of the Sioux, so Mohawk natives had to set aside their own traditions. This is why many pictures of the time – and the look of the Chief Poking Fire Museum – do not accurately reflect Iroquois culture. It was a commercial decision and not some ignorance of their own culture. Read more »
William Smith, son of Louis Smith – Caughnawaga Entertainer
Today I’m delighted to introduce you to a new guest author – American family historian Melody Morgan. As you will read below, Melody has a connection to Kahnawake through her beloved step-father William Smith, son of Mohawk entertainer – Louis Smith. She spins her tale below, and ends with a request for anyone with information about this family to contact her. You can do so by leaving a message in the comment box below, and I will send you her email information. Thanks!
Guest Post by Melody Morgan
William Smith
When I was a young woman, my father died and my mother remarried. My new step-father was William Smith and he used to tell marvelous stories about his parents – mostly his father, Louis Smith.
Bill would proudly boast that Louis Smith was an Iroquois Indian from Caughnawaga. He was very proud of this heritage and he wore the genes of this heritage like a badge . There was no mistaking his Native origins. Unfortunately, Bill died about 20 years ago, before I became interested in genealogy. I never asked him the questions I should have. Now I search for the facts necessary to make a place for him and his ancestors in our family tree.
I know a little about William’s mother. She had been ill with tuberculosis for many years and was in and out of hospitals and tucked away in sun porches for healing air. She died when he was only 10 years old so I don’t think he had many real memories of her at all. His mother’s name was Terese Kaherotonkwas. She was apparently a performer too and used the name Weeping Corn Husk.
Louis Smith of Kahnawake
I have managed to uncover a few facts about Louis Smith, which led to a few more facts, but I don’t even know the details of the accident that took his life or where he is buried. I cannot confirm his possibly German father or his Native mother, don’t know when they died or where they are buried and am not sure where else to turn.
Fortunately, several stories of the Canadian Mohawk and Iroquois who performed in Vaudeville or traveling shows have turned up on the internet so I have learned quite a bit about Louis’ associates and the life they lived. There are stories and photographs on the web about both of the witnesses at his marriage. It is quite a fascinating time in history. Below is a summary of what I know about Louis Smith. I have also attached a piece from the 1897 New York Times which tells a bit about him and shows his picture. Read more »
Encore! | The Village Church Of The Iroquois Indians Of Caughnawaga (Inscription)
This is an early twentieth century view of
Caughnawaga’s historic St-Francois-Xavier Church
where the soon-to be Saint Kateri is entombed.
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Compiled from the most recent telephone directories of:
Akwesasne – Kahnawake – Kanehsatake – Ohsweken – Tyendinaga – Wahta
Numbers = households with that surname Read more »
Mohawk surnames of today: Akwesasne, Kahnawake, Kanehsatake, Ohsweken, Tyendinaga, Wahta | A-L
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